Fortrose nursery scores very good rating from Care Inspectorate after surprise visit of Black Isle site
A Highland nursery is celebrating after a positive surprise inspection praised the service and the staff's "warm, caring and nurturing" support of the children.
Fortrose Early Learning and Childcare received three very good ratings and one of good following the unannounced visit by the Care Inspectorate on January 24.
It scored five out of six - meaning "very good" - for its care, play and learning; its leadership; and its staff team; and a four - meaning "good" - for its setting.
Jaci Douglas, chief executive of the Care and Learning Alliance (CALA), which runs the Fortrose nursery, said: “We are so proud of the wonderful staff we have at Fortrose and the strong, positive relationships they have with children and parents.
“The care, nurture and support they provide contributes towards children being able to safely express their needs, and to feel safe and secure. The recognition by the Care Inspectorate that there was a strong ethos of supporting children and their families, in line with one of the setting’s primary values – family – is just so positive."
The Care Inspectorate visit found that staff "knew children well, which meant that they were able to anticipate, and meet their needs [and] were skilled in their interactions to support children to extend their play and learning. This meant children were developing a broad range of lifelong skills.”
They also recognised that "resources on offer provided children with a wide range of opportunities to explore and develop their imagination[and] the vision and values of the setting positively informed practice within the setting. As a result children received high quality care and support." The inspection also highlighted that "staff were kind, caring, enthusiastic, and demonstrated a high level of motivation. This contributed to children to have positive experiences".
The report highlighted discussions and comments from parents and carers, as well as positive comments including “every day my child is welcomed whole-heartedly into nursery” and “each and every member of staff is approachable, nurturing and welcoming.” Another parent commented: "I love the emphasis the setting always puts on play and learning through play.”
The inspector noted that this "promoted children's development, learning and wellbeing. Staff used skilled interactions to support children's developing language, literacy and numeracy skills."
Ms Douglas added@ "The recognition of the 'kind, caring, and enthusiastic' approach of staff and their 'high level of motivation in relation to supporting children to have positive experiences' is testament to the skills, experiences and approach of the whole team.”
The Care Inspectorate graded the service as 'very good' and the full report can be found on the Care Inspectorate website at Inspection Reports.
Further information on CALA visit https://www.careandlearningalliance.co.uk/.
